StarClan's Apprentice
by Tanglepath
Summary: A kit with strange powers. A prophecy not foretold. Will Tanglepath learn the truth behind her second soul? Or will the Clans crumble in the wake of war?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note:_  
><em>The time setting is during Tanglepath's life, starting from birth (around the time Rusty ventured into the forest) to warriorship (Warriors: The Darkest Hour) and so on. Please understand that I don't get to go on the computer very often so what you get is what I got. Enjoy!<em>

**~Prologue~**

_A gentle breeze whispered through_ the tall pines in the ShadowClan camp. an enchanting calm rested on the forest.

Suddenly, a peircing caterwaul of pain sounded from the camp. There, in the nursery, a queen lay giving birth to her first kits. Her black flank rose and fell rapidly as she tried to get the kits out. "She's getting weaker! StarClan, help us!" The old medicine cat gasped. A painful spasm shuddered down the length of the queen's body, then silence. Each heartbeat seemed to stretch on forever. Then a small mewling began to sound from the newly birthed kits. They were alive!  
>"Thank StarClan." Rasped the old medicine cat. She licked her matted gray fur and sighed. New kits were always a good omen.<p>

"Yellowfang! Yellowfang! How are the kits? Are they okay?"  
>"Calm down, Littlecloud! your kits are fine! And so is Darkflower. Come inside, if you want to see them."<p>

Little cloud edged in and looked at his mate, suckling their newborn kits. His eyes brimmed with happiness and pride. "They're . . . beautiful." He whispered. There were three kits. A black and white she-cat, a gray tom, and a gray tabby she-cat, whose stripes looked as of they were tangled. "What's her name?" Littlecloud nodded to the kit that shared his pelt. "Nightkit." Darkflower replied. "And him?" Littlecloud flicked his tail at the gray tom. "Dawnkit." Littlecloud stared at the tabby she-cat that was his daughter. "Have you named her?" He pointed at the tabby kit with his nose. "No, I thought you'd like to." Littlecloud tried his hardest to think of a name that wasn't obvious, but the one he had in mind left him in awe, even if it was so simple.  
>"Tanglekit."<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**~Chapter One~**

_Warm, milky scents filled Tanglekit's nose._ She gave a small purr and nuzzled closer to her mother. The weight of her sister and brother crushed her, and she squirmed upward until she could breathe easily. "I like to _breathe_, you guys!" Tanglekit mewed loudly. Nightkit flicked her ears in reply. "Oh, quit complaining, Tanglekit! You have no room to talk!" Dawnkit squeaked. Tanglekit batted Dawnkit's ears. "And I have no room to stretch! Why don't you three go play outside if you're so energetic?" Their mother, Darkflower, teased.

Tanglekit was the first out of the nursery, bouncing on her clumsy paws and stumbling up to every cat she saw. She looked around at the ShadowClan camp, and noticed a massive cat with a pelt similar to Nightkit's. "Littlecloud!" Tanglekit bolted over to her father, who gasped in mock surprise when she flung herself right into his face. Nightkit and Dawnkit, whom had been visiting the elders, raced over to greet their father, too. For a moment, they tussled, Littlecloud pretending to surrender, when a massive tom with gray fur padded up to them. He was thin, but that didn't hide the muscles rippling under his pelt. "Littlecloud. If you're about done messing around with kits, maybe you can be of some use now." He sneered. Littlecloud got up slowly, his fur bristling slightly. "Excuse me, _deputy_, but these happen to be _my _kits."

Tanglekit tilted her head. _Why don't they like each other? _Without looking away from Cinderfur, Littlecloud mewed to Tanglekit and her kin, "Go back to the nursery, little ones, it's getting late." Tanglekit saw her father curl his lip slightly, just barely showing sharp, white teeth. His eyes glittered with anger, and he didn't look away from the ShadowClan deputy once as Tanglekit, Dawnkit, and Nightkit padded slowly back to the nursery. _Something's not right. Why does Littlecloud show so much hatred towards Cinderfur? What did Cinderfur do to make him so mad? _These thoughts and others spun around in Tanglekit's head. She wanted to know more, but Darkflower was asleep. Tanglekit curled up against her kin, listening as their breathing became slower, and steadier. She tried her hardest to stay awake, in hopes of figuring out her father's and the deputy's rivalry on her own, but gradually her eyes began to close, and she soon gave in to sleep.

Tanglekit shivered with excitement. She was finally six moons old, and Nightstar was about to make her an apprentice. Her pelt was neatly groomed, and as the young ShadowClan leader bounded up to the group of assembling cats, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Tanglekit was caught off guard when she heard Nightstar's voice, "Tanglekit, step forward." Tanglekit looked around at the cats surrounding her. Her gaze rested on her parents, Darkflower and Littlecloud, and was reassured by the pride shining in their eyes. She made her way to Nightstar, who waited patiently as she weaved between the cats gathered in the clearing. Nighstar looked down at Tanglekit with a contented expression. He then glanced at the sky, where Silverpelt was only just beginning to show as the sun set on the western horizon. "We are here today to give a Clan kit her apprentice name." He began, "Whitethroat, you are young, but you have shown great loyalty to the Clan and have become a formidable warrior. You will be Tanglepaw's mentor. Pass on everything you have learned to her." The clearing exploded with yowls of delight and cats calling Tanglepaw by her new name. Tanglepaw bounded to Whitethroat and touched her nose to his. Finally, she could serve her Clan!


	3. Chapter 3

Tanglepaw's paws tingled with excitement as her new mentor, Whitethroat, led her out into the forest for the first time. She gazed in awe at the tall pines all around, and heard the crackle of dry needles with each step she took. "What will we be doing first, Whitethroat? Catching prey for the elders?" Tanglekit asked. She was always eager to help. Whitethroat looked at her in surprise. "Normally new apprentices want to go on a border patrol or do battle training. You want to learn to hunt on your first day? And for the elders?"

"Yes!"

Whitethroat's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Okay, then we shall hunt." Whitethroat told Tanglepaw everything she needed to know about hunting. How to hold your weight above your paws, and to keep your tail just above the ground. And most importantly, be quiet and move slowly. After practicing a few times, Tanglepaw set off in search of prey. A few heartbeats had gone by when she heard the scraping of teeth on a nut. _Squirrel!_ Tanglepaw rounded a large pine, and spotted the squirrel. Luckily, its back was turned. Tanglepaw droppen into the hunter's crouch and stalked acroos the short distance between herself and her prey. The pine needled under her paws cracked ever so slightly, but the squirrel was too intent on its nut to notice. Then, just when she was in range, Tanglepaw pounced, and took down the squirrel, biting down on its neck till its body stopped thrashing. _Thank you, StarClan!_


End file.
